Why Practice Makes Perfect

I managed a tutor who got 3 perfect scores (SAT and two subject tests) as a student and when I asked her the secret to success, she said “hard work.”

Wanting to get deeper I prodded for more details and she explained studying for the SAT for 3 months almost on a daily basis and taking practice tests often did the trick.

Similar to asking a successful entrepreneur how they became rich, asking someone who got a perfect score on the SAT or ACT is the best way to learn how to do it yourself.

Many times I’ll talk to parents or students about their academic goals, but the expectations don’t match the work ethic.

The beauty of all the free test prep resources out there is the calculated way to know you’re making progress is: take practice tests.

The general rule is for every 6 – 8 hours of studying/tutoring you should take a new practice test. Yes, they are long just like the real one, but scoring and sitting through an actual test cannot be simulated any other way.

A self-driven and motivated student can do this on their own, but for the rest online tutoring provides the accountability to do the work needed to improve.

The SAT/ACT is not a measurement of your intelligence or predictor of future success, but the value in working with a tutor is demystifying the test.

Practice may not equate to a perfect score, but if you put in the work it will definitely result in a higher one.